The days when owners and trainers viewed Tampa Bay Downs as a minor league track with a minute purse structure are long gone. Take the ninth race on Wednesday, for example.

The race was won by Bahamian Moon, a daughter of Bahamian Squall who captured a $54,000 allowance optional claimer under Carol Cedeno, and earned a check for $33,780. Bahamian Moon went head-and-head with Moana’s Power through blistering fractions of :21.09 and :44.41, then won it by————, clocked in :56.23 for the five furlongs over the turf course. The 6-year-old mare bred by Good Beginnings Faarm is 9-12-1 in 37 starts with earnings of $265,299, with $80,660 of that total coming this year. She paid $22 and received an excellent 92 ‘E’ speed figure from Equibase.